Question: Six positive integers are written on the faces of a cube. Each vertex is labeled with the product of the three numbers on the faces adjacent to the vertex. If the sum of the numbers on the vertices is equal to $1001$, then what is the sum of the numbers written on the faces?
Explanation: Let the values on one pair of opposite faces be $a$ and $d$; the second pair of faces, $b$ and $e$, and the third pair of faces, $c$ and $f$. There are eight vertices on the cube, so we find that the sum 1001 is equal to $$abc + aec + abf + aef + dbc + dec + dbf + def.$$ For any two faces adjacent at a vertex with $a$, the same two faces are adjacent to a vertex with $d$. Furthermore, any three adjacent faces must contain one of $a$ or $d$. Therefore, every term contains $a$ or $d$, and the expression is symmetric in $a$ and $d$. Considering the expression as a polynomial in $a$ (with the remaining variables fixed), we observe that $P(-d)=0$. Therefore, $a+d$ divides the given expression. Similarly, $b+e$ and $c+f$ divide the given expression as well. Therefore, $$abc + aec + abf + aef + dbc + dec + dbf + def = k(a+d)(b+e)(c+f).$$ Here, since both sides are of degree three in their variables, $k$ must be a constant, which is easily seen to be $1$.

It follows that $(a+d)(b+e)(c+f) = 1001 = 7 \cdot 11 \cdot 13$. Since each of the variables is positive, we have $a+d > 1, b+e > 1,$ and  $c+f > 1$. Thus $(a+d)+(b+e)+(c+f) = 7 + 11 + 13 = \boxed{31}$.